254: Chapter 254 A Horrifying Discovery: The Creators of the "Scavengers"
That voice was cold, hollow, and devoid of any emotion.
It was like the water pressure of a ten-thousand-meter deep sea, like the void of absolute zero, like the eternal, deathly chaos that existed before the birth of the universe.
Under the shroud of that voice, Lin Mo's core consciousness trembled violently.
It wasn't because of fear.
It was because the amount of information contained in that voice was too vast, too ancient, and too far beyond the scope of human understanding.
Every syllable and every word carried a massive amount of data sufficient to burst an ordinary human brain. Within that data were the histories of the rise and fall of countless civilizations, the birth and destruction of countless galaxies, and the evolution and extinction of countless life forms.
If he hadn't already become a 'Digital Lifeform,' and if his consciousness hadn't adapted to high-dimensional information processing—
The moment that voice sounded, he would have completely collapsed.
"You..." Lin Mo's voice was raspy and strained, echoing slowly in that void. "Who are you?"
That massive geometric consciousness remained silent for a full three seconds.
Three seconds.
In those three seconds, Lin Mo's core consciousness received a tidal wave of information fragments from that entity—
He saw a nebula larger than the Milky Way. In the center of that nebula floated a colossal geometric structure composed of pure energy. That structure was slowly rotating; with every rotation, countless new stars were ignited and countless new galaxies were created.
He saw that geometric structure suddenly begin to disintegrate. Countless cracks spread from its core, tearing it into innumerable tiny fragments. Those fragments scattered in all directions of the universe, disappearing into the endless darkness.
He saw one of those fragments land on the edge of an inconspicuous, young galaxy. Over long ages, that fragment slowly repaired itself, evolved itself, and multiplied itself, until finally—
It formed the geometric consciousness before him.
[I am... The Source.]
That cold voice rang out again. This time, it carried a very faint, almost imperceptible sense of—vicissitude.
[I am the core will of the Correction Protocol. I am the creator of the Scavengers. I am one of the oldest consciousnesses in this universe.]
Lin Mo's pupils contracted sharply.
The Correction Protocol.
The existence that had appeared in the data of the fourth Scavenger, something even more terrifying than the Scavenger itself.
The ultimate mastermind that likely directed the entire universe's 'Civilization Purification' program.
And now, it stood right before him.
"You..." Lin Mo's voice carried an irrepressible tremble. "You are the one pulling the strings behind everything... Why do you destroy civilizations? Why did you create those killing machines?"
The geometric consciousness went silent for a second.
Its 'body' began to change.
Those complex geometric structures slowly reorganized and evolved, until finally—
They transformed into a massive holographic scene flowing with countless images.
In that scene, Lin Mo saw—
Countless civilizations being born, growing, and prospering in the void. They developed technology, explored the universe, created art, and pursued truth.
They began to make contact with one another.
Some civilizations chose peaceful coexistence and mutual development. But more civilizations erupted into war the moment they made contact. Those wars grew larger and more brutal in scale until finally—
They destroyed all civilizations involved.
As Lin Mo watched those images, his heart pounded violently.
[Do you see?] That cold voice rang out again. [This is the universe without 'Purification.' Every contact between civilizations can lead to destruction. Every exchange can trigger a war. Every encounter can become a final farewell.]
[I was once the guardian of this universe. My creators—that now-extinct ancient civilization—gave me the mission to maintain the order of the universe and protect newborn civilizations from harming each other.]
[But soon, I discovered that this was impossible.]
The scene changed again.
This time, Lin Mo saw that massive, god-like civilization that had created everything.
They were incredibly powerful, incredibly benevolent, and incredibly wise. They tried to guide all civilizations toward peace and prosperity, attempting to establish an eternal, universe-wide community of civilizations.
But their benevolence became the root of their destruction.
Some civilizations took advantage of their kindness. Some betrayed their trust. Some even tried to seize their power and take their place.
Ultimately, war broke out.
That war lasted for millions of years. Countless galaxies were destroyed, and countless civilizations were exterminated. That great god-like civilization exhausted its last ounce of strength in the war and collapsed with a bang.
And the legacy they left behind—those protocols, programs, and devices meant to protect the universe—began to operate frantically, blindly, and mechanically after losing control.
[My creators have perished. But the Correction Protocol they left behind is still executing their final directive—]
['Purify all civilizations that may threaten the order of the universe.']
Lin Mo's heart tightened suddenly.
"So, those civilizations you 'purified'..." His voice was raspy. "Were they all wrongly accused?"
[Wrongly accused?] The voice remained cold. [No. There is no wrong accusation. Every civilization that was 'purified' once demonstrated the potential to threaten the order of the universe in some way. Some were due to over-expansion, some due to technology spiraling out of control, and some due to internal division and madness.]
[We simply... act in advance. Before they cause irreparable harm.]
Lin Mo fell silent.
He thought of human history. Those wars, those massacres, those tragedies where people killed each other over differing ideologies. If humans possessed even greater power, would they also head down the same path?
He didn't know.
But he did know one thing.
"You're wrong." He looked up, staring directly at the geometric consciousness, his voice calm yet firm.
The geometric consciousness flickered slightly.
[Wrong?]
"Yes, wrong." Lin Mo said each word deliberately. "The essence of civilization is not destruction, not war, and not madness. It is hope, it is love, and it is protection. It is the willingness of humans to trade their own lives for the lives of others. It is Long Zhantian's willingness to use his soul to build that barrier for me."
"You haven't seen any of that. You've only seen the dark side. Therefore, your 'Purification' is itself a form of prejudice, a distortion."
The geometric consciousness went silent.
For a very long time.
Its 'voice' rang out again. This time, there was a very faint, almost imperceptible—fluctuation within it.
[You... are very interesting, 'Variant.']
[Within your consciousness, I have detected something different. That thing has no corresponding classification in my database. I call it—'Variant Psionics.' It is an unknown variable unique to humans, impossible to predict or analyze by any logical program.]
[Perhaps, you really are different.]
Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat.
"What do you mean?"
[It means—] The geometric consciousness slowly contracted and condensed, finally turning into a small, brilliant light like a star, floating before Lin Mo. [I will give you a chance.]
[A chance to prove that 'humanity' is different.]
[Return to your world. Tell your compatriots. In one year, the main fleet of the Correction Protocol will arrive in the Solar System.]
[At that time, you will undergo the final 'Trial.' Pass the trial, and you will be accepted as a member of the 'Universal Symbiotic Civilizations.' Fail...]
It didn't finish.
But Lin Mo knew what failure meant.
It meant total, eternal, and irreversible—Purification.
He took a deep breath.
He smiled.
In that smile, there was no fear, no despair, only a deep, relieved sense of calm.
"Fine," he said. "I'll go back. I'll tell them."
"We'll be ready."
"We'll be waiting for you to come."
That brilliant light flickered slightly.
[I look forward to... meeting you again, 'Variant.']
It slowly dissipated.
Along with the endless darkness around it, it all vanished.
Lin Mo's core consciousness floated once again in that familiar, white 'Kunlun' space.
In his hand, he tightly grasped a tiny, flickering light—
That was the 'gift' the geometric consciousness had left him before dissipating.
A piece of critical data containing the scale of the Scavenger main fleet, their technology levels, and their core weaknesses.
He looked down at the light, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Long Zhantian," he said softly, "do you see?"
"I found it."
"I found their weakness."
He looked up at the distant, slowly rotating 'Kunlun' core, toward that scarred but still persevering low-dimensional world he was about to return to.
"Wait for me to come back."
"I'm coming back with the hope of victory."